


Outnumbered

by sir_coriander_cadaverish



Category: Nimona (Webcomic)
Genre: At the Institution, Teen Knights!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26505775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sir_coriander_cadaverish/pseuds/sir_coriander_cadaverish
Summary: At the Institution, young Ambrosius gets in a fight with some bigger, dumber and angrier boys. Can he take 'em on? Let's see how it goes down!
Relationships: Ballister Blackheart/Ambrosius Goldenloin
Kudos: 5





	Outnumbered

It was a cool and hazy September afternoon, and 14-year-old Ambrosius was gazing idly out the window during the afternoon's break period. Whoa, this fog looks really cool, he thought. I should totally paint this for the landscape project. Besides, he reasoned, Ballister was busy in Chemistry club - so it wasn't like he had anyone else to talk to. Grabbing his watercolors and a sheet of paper, Ambrosius then set off for a shady little grove in the farthest point of the Institution grounds.

Ambrosius hadn't been there for even a few minutes before the whoops and hollers of a brutish gang of boys could be heard nearby. Dammit, he thought to himself, They followed me all the way out here? Quickly, he set aside his drawing - which was still merely a pencil sketch; he'd kept erasing it and restarting - and squinted into the fog. 

Oh god, it's Garamond, he thought grimly. He won't leave without a fight. And- Dante! What's he doing here?! I thought he got expelled-

Suddenly, a low and menacing voice cut through the thick air. 

"Well then, Princess," Dante said, leering, "What do we have here?" 

Dante was a tall boy, a bit skinny but built with a sense of rage coiled inside him, like a greyhound prepared to attack. Presently, he sneered down at Ambrosius, snatching up the drawing before Ambrosius could grab it from him and holding it up for the other boys to see. 

"Aww, it's a picture!" he cried, pursing his lips derisively. "Of some gay-ass mountains!" Ryder added, the other boys cackling in cruel delight. 

Ambrosius glared at them. "Give that back, Dante," he said firmly. 

"Give it back?" Garamond laughed in that barking manner of his. "What fun would that be?" One of the boys, a lanky redhead, roughly shoved Ambrosius backward, prompting Ambrosius to reflexively punch him in the stomach. The redhead doubled over for a moment, pain briefly flickering over his face. Then, he met eyes with Ambrosius and a deeply malicious look came upon him. "Hey guys," the redhead said in a guttural voice, "This lil' bastard thinks he can take us." 

Ambrosius felt his heart begin to pound as the other boys began to close in on him. "I don't want trouble. Really," he told them calmly, "I just want you to leave me alone." 

With an evil grin, Dante tossed Ambrosius' half-finished artwork on the ground and rubbed it into the dirt with his boot. "What're you gonna do about that, princess?" he taunted, revealing a chipped tooth in his crooked grin. As a final blow, he spat on the art and kicked it aside.

Enraged, Ambrosius gave Dante a furious kick in the shin. "You son of a bitch!" he cried as he drove his shoe into Dante's leg. Pain etched across his face, Dante shoved Ambrosius backward as hard as he could. Ambrosius steadied himself and glowered at Dante, whose green eyes pierced Ambrosius to his core. 

Suddenly, Dante whipped his head around and shouted to his followers, "Alright, kill him!" 

With scattered yells and curses, the other boys ganged up against Ambrosius in a blur of kicking and punching. Ambrosius fought back valiantly, but was greatly outnumbered by the other boys, who fought with little skill but far more power. His injuries rapidly increasing as his energy began to fade, Ambrosius was eventually overpowered, and two of the boys grabbed Ambrosius' arms and held them back, pinning them behind him so that he could no longer throw his reckless (but effective) punches. He thrashed back and forth, his shoulder-length hair falling in front of his face, but the bigger boys were too strong. 

With their prey finally trapped, the others stepped to the side, allowing Dante to face Ambrosius head-on. "So, Am-bro-zee-us," Dante sneered. "What've you got to say for yourself?" 

Accepting that he could no longer move, Ambrosius took a deep breath and looked Dante right in the eyes. 

"You're gonna pay for this, Dante," he said darkly.

The other boys snickered, but Ambrosius ignored them. "Just wait 'til we finish this year's training," he added, shouting over their laughter, "Then come talk to me!"

Then he paused, blowing the hair out of his face, and gave Dante a smirk. 

"Besides," he added calmly, "Maybe you shouldn't worry so much about other people... when your dad isn't even your real dad." 

At this statement, the other boys fell silent; all eyes fell on Dante, whose face grew distorted with rage. 

"Shut the _fuck_ up, fag!" Dante screamed. In a flash, his hand shot out and - Crack! \- he struck Ambrosius across the face with the back of his hand. A sharp stinging pain exploded in Ambrosius' mouth - he'd bitten his tongue. The other boys whooped excitedly, relieved to see their leader regain control. Turning from Ambrosius, Dante grinned at the other boys, held his arms up triumphantly, and - to the delight of his goons - let out a battle cry. Unfazed, Ambrosius spat a mouthful of blood in Dante's face when he turned back around. "Augh!" he cried in disgust. With Dante distracted, Ambrosius wrested himself free from the others' grasp and punched Ryder in his pockmarked face. "Bad move, smartass!" Ryder shouted, briefly rubbing his jaw. "Now you're really gonna pay!"

In moments, the boys were back at war, viciously attacking Ambrosius, who took them on but was clearly losing strength. Just as Ambrosius edged on unconciousness, and he had begun to blindly throw punches with little regard for their accuracy, and he was no longer standing but rather leaning on the tree behind him, he could hear another boy running up to the fight. "What the- What the hell are you doing?!" the boy exclaimed, shoving the others off of Ambrosius. A considerably loud thud could be heard as the boy punched one of the bullies in the face, causing him to stumble backwards.

The boy then whirled around and began to scan Ambrosius for any severe injuries - it was Ballister! Ambrosius fought the urge to smile, his hands still balled into fists at his sides - "Seriously, what is wrong with you people?" Ballister asked, adding softly, "He's just a kid!" "But... you're only four months older than me," Ambrosius muttered faintly, "In that case, we're both kids..." Ballister shushed him.

"This little fucker got what he asked for," Garamond replied, getting in one last kick at Ambrosius' leg before stepping back. "Hey, leave him alone," Ballister shouted, "Leave him alone! You too, Dante, I'm not playing around." He shoved Dante away from Ambrosius one final time, ignoring the murderous look that Dante cast him. "Get out of here, all of you," Ballister said firmly as the boys began to leave - some calling out "Fag!" and "Pussy!" as they went.

Dante lingered, however. His face still flecked with blood, he glared at Ambrosius and muttered, "You're lucky your little boyfriend was here to save you... Might not be so lucky next time." Ballister stepped forward and held his arm out in front of Ambrosius, who still leaned against the tree, panting. "Fuck off, Dante," Ballister said in a threatening tone, "Before I go and call the Director on you and your little gang."

Slowly and reluctantly, Dante turned on his heel, gave Ambrosius' drawing one final stomp, and finally stalked away to join the others as they stormed off in defeat.

"Assholes!" Ambrosius yelled breathlessly after them, eyes filled with rage. 

In the stillness of the fog, his voice seemed to echo for ages. 

For a moment, both boys stood there in silence, watching the bullies disappear into the mist. Then, the fury left Ambrosius' eyes and they instead filled with tears. Angrily, he wiped them away.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ballister asked gently, standing a few paces behind him. "We need to get you to the nurse-" Before he could finish, Ambrosius turned around and threw his arms around Ballister in a tight and desperate hug, causing Ballister to stumble backward. "Whoa," he breathed, hugging Ambrosius back with hesitation - he didn't want to hurt him any further. 

His face buried in Ballister's shirt, Ambrosius made no sound, save for a few deep, shuddering breaths. 

"Hey... it's okay," Ballister said to him softly, after having regained his footing. Gently, he stroked Ambrosius' dusty golden hair. "It's okay. You're alright."

\-----

As they walked through the fog back towards the Institution, Ballister asked, "What were you even doing out here, anyway?" Ambrosius heaved a sigh. "I was just trying to finish my landscape project." 

"...Oh," Ballister said, realizing what exactly Dante had destroyed. He found himself filled with an unexpected sadness. "I'm... really sorry they ruined it." Ambrosius looked up at Ballister with a wry smile, the hazy sunlight illuminating his freshly-earned black eye. "It's alright," he said, admitting, "I didn't really like it, to be honest." 

At this, Ballister smiled back at him.

**Author's Note:**

> do y'all want more angst? bc like,,, i got it. that's all i'm saying. i got a lot of it.


End file.
